Stroke deaths halved in 10 years: UK study

Stroke deaths in the UK have halved in just a decade, new research suggests.

The rate of people dying from the condition, which occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off, decreased by 55 per cent between 2001 and 2010, according to a study published in journal The BMJ.

The researchers, from the University of Oxford, said better NHS care is likely boosting the chances of survival for patients.

"Our findings show that most of the reduction in stroke mortality is a result of improved survival of patients with stroke," the authors said.

"However, acute and long-term management of such patients is expensive, and the NHS is already spending about five per cent of its budget on stroke care.

"By focusing on prevention and reducing the occurrence of stroke, major resources can be conserved."

The researchers analysed data from almost 800,000 adults in England who were admitted to hospital with acute stroke or who died from a stroke between 2001 and 2010. Death rates from strokes decreased across all age groups across this period, the study found.

In men, overall death rates dropped from 140 per 100,000 people in 2001, to 74 per 100,000 people in 2010.

Meanwhile, in women, they decreased from 128 per 100,000 to 72 per 100,000.

Improvements in survival were also reported across this period.

In 2001, 42 per cent of men and 44 per cent of women who suffered a stroke did not survive beyond 30 days, the study found.

By 2010, this figure was 26 per cent in men and 29 per cent in women.

While the number of strokes dropped by around 20 per cent over the decade, there was a rise of two per cent every year among people aged 35 to 54.

"The increase in stroke event rates in young adults is a concern ... this suggests that stroke prevention needs to be strengthened to reduce the occurrence of stroke in people younger than 55 years," the authors said.